Description

‘Subtle, Wry and Intimate’ – The Times

Sybil was happy with her perfectly average life. She had a decent job, working for the Royal Institute of Prehistorical Studies, and a happy relationship with her boyfriend, Simon. That is, until Helen Hansen, Sybil’s undergraduate nemesis, re-enters her world, and now life as she knows it is unfurling in front of her eyes.

After an unfortunate ice-rink incident that led to a short stay in hospital, Simon and Helen go home together, leaving Sybil not only concussed but loveless. To add insult to injury, Helen has now been appointed Head of Trustees at work, making her a permanent fixture in Sybil’s daily life. Helen reflects everything Sybil isn’t, and she becomes fixated on exposing Helen as a fraud, no matter the cost.

Witty, offbeat and subtle, Ruth Thomas captures our hearts in The Snow and the Works on the Northern Line with Sybil’s sarcastic narration, wry observations and real emotion. As featured on **BBC Radio 4 as book of the week*, *The Snow and the Works on the Northern Line tells the story of the life of a twenty-something; messy, honest, at some points lonely, but altogether full of heart.

Publisher Review

'I LOVED IT! All the best bits of Barbara Pym, with a little Jane Austen - on speed' -- Sarah Salway 'Wry, sharp and tender. A delight' -- Meaghan Delahunt 'Resonant and romantic, sad but never sentimental and laced through with wicked shafts of humour' -- Lesley Glaister 'I just think it's glorious. Absolutely brilliant! So funny so sad, so uplifting and so gripping. What a cracker!' -- Alan Warner 'Sybil is an audible presence, someone that must be taken on her own terms, in her own words. The almost zen handling of voice is a joy.' -- Janice Galloway 'I would follow Sybil down any domestic/Beckett rabbit hole' -- Reif Larsen